Sectional suitcase



April 9, 1946" P. FRANDSEN 2,398,299

SECTIONAL SUITCASE I Filed Ai lg. 22, 1944 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR.

wn'wgssgs .Plaarl flaw/035871 I I BY I ATTORN 5Y5 Patented Apr. 9, 1946UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE j 2,398,299]? y I SECTIONAL SUITCASE PearlFrandsen, New York, N. Y.

Application August 22, 1944, Serial No. 550,546 lClaim. ((1190-21) Thepresent invention relates to suitcases and similar luggage.

One of its objects is to provide a piece of luggage which consists of aplurality of sections or units which may be used singly, as smallindividual units, or together, as a large composite unit.

Another object is the provision of a piece of luggage which consists ofa plurality of sections or units which may be joined to form either acompartmented unit or a unit having no separate compartments.

A further object is to provide a piece of luggage having a plurality ofseparate compartments, to any one of which access may be gained withoutopening or disturbing the rest.

Still another object is the provision of a plurality of pieces ofluggage which may be joined to form a large single piece of luggagehaving an outer appearance which does not differ substantially from theappearance of standard luggage.

A preferred embodiment of the invention is shown in the accompanyingdrawings in which:

Figure l is a perspective view of a composite suitcase constructed inaccordance with the present specification; a

Figure 2 is a horizontal section of the suitcase, on the line 2--2 ofFigure 3;

Figure 3 is a longitudinal vertical section of the suitcase, on the line3-3 of Figure 2;

Figure 4 is a fragmentary, vertical section of the center unit of thesuitcase;

Figure 5 is a vertical section of one of the side units of the suitcase;

Figure 6 is a fragmentary perspective view of one of the partitionreceiving channels;

Figure '7 is a transverse vertical section of the suitcase showing oneof the partitions partly in and partly out of its receiving channel; and

Figure 8 is a detailed sectional view showing how the units of Figures 4and 5 are joined, by

b means of a modified form of coupling device.

In the embodiment of the invention shown in the drawings, there arethree individual sections or units. a large center unit Ill and twosmall side units l i and I2 respectively. The center unit has nopermanent side walls at all. It does have a front and a rear wall l3 and14 respectively. The side units have no permanent inner side wall. Sideunit I I has a front wall 15, an outer side wall It and a rear wall l1.Side unit l2 has a front wall [8, an outer side wall l9 and a rear wall20.

Each unit has a permanent hinged cover, center unit It having cover 2|,side unit H having cover 22 and side unit [2 having cover 23. Each unithas its own bottom or floor, center unit 10 having floor 24, side unit II having floor and side unit l2 having floor 26.

Each unit carries its own latching and locking device. Center unit It)is provided with lock 21, side unit I l is provided with lock 28 andside unit I2 is provided with lock 29, and each unit has its own handle.Center unit l0 has a heavy load carrying handle 30 and side units II andI2 have strap handles 3| and 32 respectively.

Each unit is provided at its open side or sides with a U shaped channelmember which is U shaped in cross section. This member is aflixed to thebottom and front and rear walls by means of any conventional fasteningmeans, such as rivets or an adhesive'or by sewing. This member may bemade of leather, plastic or metal or of any other suitable material.

Adapted to slide into said channel member to form a dust proof andwater-tight closure therewith, is a rectangular partition member, 4|whose length and height correspond to the length and height of thechannel formed within said channel member and whose thicknesscorresponds to the width of said channel. This partition member may bemade of leather, wood, plastic or metal or of any other suitablematerial. It should, preferably, be covered with the same material thatcovers the, piece of luggage itself, such as fabricoid, or leather orfabric.

Channel members 40 and partition members 4| are provided withregistering apertures 42 and 43 respectively.

Aflixed as by rivets or other suitable means, to the front and rearwalls of each of said units. adjacent and at right angles to saidchannel members, and in line with said apertures, are flanged tube-likesockets or channels 44 which are adapted to carry barrel bolts 45. Thesesockets may be made of metal or plastic or of any other suitablematerial. The barrel bolts are of a length to extend through two coaxialsockets and two channel members 40. They are threaded at their endportions to receive nuts 45. The function of these barrel bolt andsocket members is to secure the several units together to form onecomposite whole. This is shown in Figure 1.

A modified form of these securing members is shown in Figure 8. Thesocket members have a rectangular, instead of tubular channel, adaptedto accommodate flat, strap-like barrel bolts St. A flexible lockingstrap 52 afiixed at one end as by rivets, to the wall of the unit inquestion, and at the other end, as by a snap or button fastener 53 tothe bolt, fixes said bolt against displacement.

together, each of said units consisting of a bot-' tom, outer walls, ahinged cover, latching means and a handle, each of said units havingafiixed thereto on the inside of said outer walls and bottom andadjacent its adjoining unit, a U shaped channel member which is U shapedin cross section, each said channel member carrying a removablepartition member, said securing means comprlsing a plurality of barrelbolt and socket members carried on the inside of said outer walls, thebolt elements thereof passing through registering apertures in saidchannel and partition members.

PEARL FRANDSEN.

